How can i be a Chinese teacher in the US?

[Joecy]

Hi Xiaoyan, nice to see you asking question and started to prepare for life in the US!

 

I have taught Pinying in a local Chinese school on my 2nd year in the US. I lived in Michigan, our Chinese school has around 70 kids. These school are mostly volunteer based, the teacher are mostly parents, they might have their own kid in their class. My pay were like 15 dollars an hour, we teach 2 hours on every Sun.

 

I didn't have teaching background, it was hard for me to figure out the teaching method -- trying to make Pinying fun to these American born Chinese who were very active and lively was tough, I scratched my head. Often getting excited for an idea and couldn't go to sleep.

 

I think it might be easier for you coming as a English teacher.

 

I stopped teaching to focus on my magazine. But it was a great experience! Me and my daughter all get connected with the Chinese Community, I learned the American born Chinese kids response to a different way of teaching...

 

 

We are writing an article about teaching Chinese in the US. We interviewed couple Chinese women who teach in US university, private school, local Chinese school, or on their way to get degree ( teaching Chinese as a Foreign language) . Hope the article will be available before you embark to the US.

[Joecy]

My wife is working as a Chinese teacher at a private school here in California, and my cousin's wife is finishing her California teaching credential and doing student teaching.

 

......

Hope this helps.

 

Great note, Msittig!

Did your wife have teaching background before coming to the US?

Edited October 27, 2014 by Joecy (see edit history)

[xiaoyan1985]

Thanks a lot Joecy! That really helped a lot. I am currently teaching English by myself in china. But i always worry about what the life would be like in the US. Mostly about what job i could do. I am also a little bit worry about my relationship with my mother in law, since we are planning not to live too far away from them. She is a nice person but i think the in law problem is the same through the world...i also worry about the changing of the lifestyle. We are living in a city now but my busband really like to live in a small town. That to me is a little bit too "lonely"... i am a worry person. So...any suggestions?

[warpedbored]

I know some members have brought their wives to come live in a small town without problem. Perhaps they enjoy the peace and quiet over the constant noise in China. Every case is different. I can give you a little of my own personal experience. My ex wife is a big city girl from Tokyo. When we first got married we lived in a small city in Idaho. She hated it there. There were no Japanese markets she could find familiar food in, no Japanese restaurants or other Japanese people she could be friends with. We finally moved to a larger city in Oregon because she was so unhappy. She was much happier here and although we did eventually divorce it saved our marriage at that time. Marriage is about sacrifice of your own preferences to make your spouse happy. Later when I met my Chinese wife I had learned from my previous marriage to make sure my wife had access to some familiar things. It is very difficult to adjust to life in a new country, anything that eases that discomfort helps. Here in Portland each neighborhood feels like a small town yet there are also Chinese supermarkets, restaurants and a network of Chinese friends.

 

By all means give the small town a chance but it would also be wise to make sure your husband is prepared to move if you hate it there.

[Joecy]

Thanks a lot Joecy! That really helped a lot. I am currently teaching English by myself in china. But i always worry about what the life would be like in the US. Mostly about what job i could do. I am also a little bit worry about my relationship with my mother in law, since we are planning not to live too far away from them. She is a nice person but i think the in law problem is the same through the world...i also worry about the changing of the lifestyle. We are living in a city now but my busband really like to live in a small town. That to me is a little bit too "lonely"... i am a worry person. So...any suggestions?

argh.... we are so alike! We Chinese women just can't stop working, anywhere!

I think you are on the right path -- you started to prepare, asking questions, visit CFL. I'm very proud of you!!

 

Small town can be lonely! Apart from all the common ways we discuss on the forum, you have a big family here!

When I was depressed last winter, in this small town covered with snow, didn't see any living thing! I came to cry on CFL, I was flooded with warmth and care.

 

We will watch you

[credzba]

Thanks a lot Joecy! That really helped a lot. I am currently teaching English by myself in china. But i always worry about what the life would be like in the US. Mostly about what job i could do. I am also a little bit worry about my relationship with my mother in law, since we are planning not to live too far away from them. She is a nice person but i think the in law problem is the same through the world...i also worry about the changing of the lifestyle. We are living in a city now but my busband really like to live in a small town. That to me is a little bit too "lonely"... i am a worry person. So...any suggestions?

 

My wife is from Suzhou, and while that is not a big city in China, it is HUGE compared to Austin (where we live).

When we first arrived, my wife asked me often "where are all the people?"

 

As you walk down the street, you see no one, there are no bicycles, no humans.

After a while she told me "I figured it out, they are all in cars" .. meaning no one walks or rides bicycle, all you see are cars, but the people are inside.

 

Sadly, this does not help me, I miss walking and seeing people, I miss the street food in evenings, I miss having fresh food from the market instead of frozen food from grocery store 4 kilometres away (and we live close). I miss the dancing in the courtyard or park in the evenings, I miss fresh bao-zi.

 

I am the American and I miss those parts of China, my wife has adapted to America, and has lived with all those things her whole life.

She misses those things, but she finds other things in America to like, things I grew up with and take for granted.

 

So, I think you will miss "normal" life when you move to America, no matter where you live, but after a while you will find the pleasures of America, though they are different.

Just be happy your husband is not like me.

My poor wife has to listen to me whine about America often, I'd rather live in polluted China than in lonely America.

[xiaoyan1985]

 

 

Thanks a lot Joecy! That really helped a lot. I am currently teaching English by myself in china. But i always worry about what the life would be like in the US. Mostly about what job i could do. I am also a little bit worry about my relationship with my mother in law, since we are planning not to live too far away from them. She is a nice person but i think the in law problem is the same through the world...i also worry about the changing of the lifestyle. We are living in a city now but my busband really like to live in a small town. That to me is a little bit too "lonely"... i am a worry person. So...any suggestions?

argh.... we are so alike! We Chinese women just can't stop working, anywhere!

I think you are on the right path -- you started to prepare, asking questions, visit CFL. I'm very proud of you!!

 

Small town can be lonely! Apart from all the common ways we discuss on the forum, you have a big family here!

When I was depressed last winter, in this small town covered with snow, didn't see any living thing! I came to cry on CFL, I was flooded with warmth and care.

 

We will watch you

[xiaoyan1985]

Thank you! How long it took out to get out of the depression? I just feel like i have already felt depressed about thr idea of moving to the states...i visited the US three time for christmas in the past three years, each time was more than a month. I just couldn't help coming back to china each time. But the thing is i don't enjoy staying in china neither because of the pollution every day...just...i don't know, i guess if i were younger i might feel more excited about moving to the US(i was born in 1985). But i guess it will makr sense to move there sooner than later.

[credzba]

Thank you! How long it took out to get out of the depression? I just feel like i have already felt depressed about thr idea of moving to the states...i visited the US three time for christmas in the past three years, each time was more than a month. I just couldn't help coming back to china each time. But the thing is i don't enjoy staying in china neither because of the pollution every day...just...i don't know, i guess if i were younger i might feel more excited about moving to the US(i was born in 1985). But i guess it will makr sense to move there sooner than later.

xiao yan,

 

My wife was born in 1965, and never wanted to come to USA.

She only came to be with me, she loved her home town of Suzhou in China, and still does.

 

However, after 6 years in America, it is ME who begs to go back to China, she wants to stay in America because of a few things.

1) At her age, there is no job in China, and she is not ready to retire yet.

2) As you said, the air is much cleaner in America

3) Daughter is finishing college, and wants to stay in America.

 

All combined, it is my wife who makes me stay in America, I am ready to live in China as soon as she will go with me.

Where you live in America makes a big difference.

Explain this to your husband, and see if he can arrange for you to live in an area that helps to make your transition easier.

We live close to Chinese grocery and Chinese restaurant. Even though we are not religious people, my wife goes to a Chinese church, and has met many Chinese friends there.

Our house has Chinese music playing, no shoes worn in house, as many Chinese ways as possible so my wife is comfortable.

 

It will never be China, but you can make sure that you get some Chinese friends, and food.

Also, we have free phone to and from China. My wife can call home any time and talk as long as she wants, and there is a China phone number her friends can call her any time for free.

 

 

You are young.

If you come to USA, and get a degree in what you want as a career, it would be very easy for you to earn good money, and live a good life. For my wife, She did not have enough years before retirement to make the commitment to a new career.

This is not the case for you.

You have a great opportunity to do whatever you wish.

[tsap seui]

Thanks a lot Joecy! That really helped a lot. I am currently teaching English by myself in china. But i always worry about what the life would be like in the US. Mostly about what job i could do. I am also a little bit worry about my relationship with my mother in law, since we are planning not to live too far away from them. She is a nice person but i think the in law problem is the same through the world...i also worry about the changing of the lifestyle. We are living in a city now but my busband really like to live in a small town. That to me is a little bit too "lonely"... i am a worry person. So...any suggestions?

Xiaoyan1985, I feel you are right to worry about your future in America. But, I would like to say that you are young at 29 years of age, and your youth will help you adjust in many ways. You have your life ahead of you and have many options open to you. With your intelligence and work ethic you will find your way.

 

I know your city, Shenyang only a small bit as my wife is from Fushun, only an hour or so from Shenyang. Shenyang is a bustling city and busy city to me, more so than how busy I see Fushun (as an American who. loves small cities). When I brought my wife over here in 2011 (Wenyan was 48 at the time) I agonized over the fact that I was taking her from a large, to me, city and bring her to a small rural town in Pennsylvania that only has 2,500 people in it. I took videos to show her the small town and let me tell you, it made her laugh hilariously....you talk about not seeing any people...LOL I did everything I could to show her where she was going to live, and explained that this would be a good place for our son to attend 10th grade and finish his high school in. I told her if she was unhappy here that we could move to a larger city after Fengqi finished his high school. I truly agonized over bringer them both to America...we even talked about that this morning briefly.

 

Unlike you, Wenyan did not have the option to come visit America, even once, before she made the move. She said she was tired of living with so many people and that she thought she would enjoy a small town, especially the clean air that we have in the mountains here. I researched everything I could, and told her what I found....like...we were an hour and a half drive to get to where Chinese foods were sold, that even though she had a degree as a doctor's assistant that it would be useless in America until she went to at least 2 years of American university...when I met her in 2006 she spoke no english at all so that was going to be one tough task to take courses in an American university. I did everything I could to show her the positive, and the negative side of her life in America. In mid 2008, before we married in Shenyang later in 2009, I bought her a new home, had it finished off, and paid for her to furnish it nicely in Fushun....one that she and I could fall back on should life in America be too much for her. I can't say how much I agonized over taking a woman out of her country and planting her in unknown waters like America. I tried to cover every base and leave her the option of even moving back to China if she found small town America too dull as compared to her life in China.

 

Like most all Chinese women Wenyan is a worker, she needs to be busy, as well she has a strong entrepreneurial spirit that drives her soul. Two months after they arrived in America Wenyan picked out the home we bought just 2 miles away on a nice country road from the small city of Bedford (actually in Pennsylvania Bedford is officially listed as a borough, not even a city....)...a small home with a million dollar view of the mountains. Fengqi did very well in his small high school and now is attending Penn State. Wenyan asked me "when can I get a job" as our plane from Beijing was still rolling to the docking station in the Washington, DC airport. The second week they were here she and I put in many job applications to various local businesses and never heard a word back...I think maybe 10 or 15 other Chinese people live in Bedford. So, three months after they came to America, my ex-wife put back on the market a three house with 6 apartments on 2 1/2 acres complex I had bought for her back in 1998. The price was half of what I had paid for the complex years ago and it needed a lot of work. She and I did the work and made the apartments like new once again. I put it all in Wenyan's name and with our work it soon gave her about $3,600 per month as an income....but....other than her going to collect rent a few days per month....she found herself not busy enough, and, as she puts it..."I want to make my own money, from my own job". That Chinese work ethic is very strong in her, and she goes crazy sitting in our home. More applications still got no replies for her.

 

Six days ago Wenyan returned from 3 months of working with her severely ailing parents in Fushun. She has been studying foot and finger massage online, went to have some of the workers in China massage her feet and hands, and she is now going to start a foot massage business in our home. We both researched the laws and viability of such a business and the two other folks who do that around here are very busy. She doesn't need the two year university degree to open her business, and while any business is slow to get off the ground, one of the same businesses in our area has closed down as the worker aged out and can no longer do it. Wenyan isn't looking to make a lot of money off of the business, she just wants to be busy, doing something for herself that pays her an "earned" income.

 

I've also told her that now with our son in university, we are free to move to a larger city...(Pittsburgh is the target I'm thinking of and I went and researched it some over the summer while Wenyan was gone)... A city with an active nightlife, plenty of places to buy Chinese foods, and much more opportunities. And she knows, while I truly liked my times in China, it is not high on my list of places to live, that if she wants to move back to China, I will go live with her in our very comfortable home there. I continually try and keep every option open for my wife's sanity and happiness.

 

I tell you this because as I read your words, I see that you have already been in America 3 months over 3 trips, and you still have some pretty mixed feelings about a life here....small town, in-laws, finding a job you like, etc etc. If you were older and couldn't speak or understand english very well I'd probably offer you different advice, but, with your age and with her high degree of intelligence and work ethic, I'll say....maybe you should give America a try. Yes, you already see some things that worry you but you literally have the world at your feet with your understanding of english, and with your built in motivation.

 

Say you start out in a small city. America is wide open and it's easy to move to a larger city. I know nothing about your husband and his feelings, and don't need to know. I'm just saying and trying to encourage you that while you may feel old, you are far from it and you have many many options here. In fact, your imagination is your only limit...that and how far your husband will work with you for your happiness and your goals, as well as his own, as a team.

 

I hope you transfer your worrying nature into one where you dream of what you would like to do, and work to make your dreams come true. Don't get bogged down by what is happening today, work for tomorrow. Yes America can be frightening and very different at first. You have been given gifts with your command of english and your intelligence...use them. Happiness is never guaranteed, it is earned. You have the ability to earn it.

 

Good luck. You will do well.

 

tsap seui

[Catherineli]

I like to borrow this thread to ask a few questions,

(1) how to buy Obama health insurance? I hear it's the cheapest one. I bet Xiao yan likes to know about this too.

(2) Credzba says his wife was born in 1965 and she doesn' t have many years before the retirement. I was born in 1963. Do you think I will get some retirement from American government? if I have a full time job and if I invest some money to my social security?

 

Thanks in advance

[credzba]

I like to borrow this thread to ask a few questions,

(1) how to buy Obama health insurance? I hear it's the cheapest one. I bet Xiao yan likes to know about this too.

(2) Credzba says his wife was born in 1965 and she doesn't have many years before the retirement. I was born in 1963. Do you think I will get some retirement from American government? if I have a full time job and if I invest some money to my social security?

 

Thanks in advance

1) Don't know on obama health care, if you have a job the health care from the company is usually better and cheaper. If husband works, his companies health insurance will cover you.

 

2) The way USA retirement works is you get the higher of 2 things.

a) Your annual wages earned over a 30 year period indicates a certain amount. Being 51, the most you could reasonably work would be 14 years (age 65), that would mean 16 years of zeroes averaged in.. your retirement will be lower, just guessing but think 1000 / mo.

Link to Social Security estimator

b) If your married, living in the USA for at least 5 years, you can draw 1/2 of your husbands retirement.

 

The 5 years half of husbands retirement is usually the best for someone coming to America after age 45.

 

 

Other notes to your comment.

 

Paying into social security is not optional, the government takes (2% I think) of every dollar you earn for social security whether you later get to collect it or not.

 

Investment is totally your choice, my wife and I decided we knew nothing of the stock market, but we like houses, so we put our money into houses.

Edited November 17, 2014 by credzba (see edit history)

[warpedbored]

Whether or not you can save money on health insurance from the Affordable Care Act depends on your income. My coworker and his wife who have two kids make about 55K a year save $300.00 a month with the ACA.

[credzba]

Whether or not you can save money on health insurance from the Affordable Care Act depends on your income. My coworker and his wife who have two kids make about 55K a year save $300.00 a month with the ACA.

 

Do you know where she sign up for it?

I didn't know.

[warpedbored]

https://www.healthcare.gov/get-coverage/